Instruments of the Orchestra

After World War II composer Benjamin Britten was invited by the Crown Film Unit to write a short piece of music that would be the basis of a film used to teach children about the symphony orchestra. Britten reportedly wrote very fast, "sampling" Purcell and then using variations on his theme to introduce the woodwind, brass, strings and percussion before bringing all the instruments together in a fugue. Called "The Young Persons' Guide to the Orchestra", Britten's work is considered one of his finest. The film, directed by composer/conductor Muir Mathieson, was widely shown in schools, and there since have been many other productions on stage and TV. This original version is surprisingly timeless. The London Symphony Orchestra is well laid out in a studio for the purposes of the project, and conductor Malcolm Sargent, the best-known British classical conductor of his day, gives more background information than in the recent (17th February 2019) performance on BBC4. The players are in lounge suits rather than evening dress and the orchestra features two female musicians. Any child who shows an interest in music should be shown this film. Surprisingly the version on BFI Player is missing its opening credits; but the beginning of the film is on YouTube. The whole film is also on DVD. Many will regret that this kind of musical education is no longer considered important by the British government.